Quantifying sponge erosions in Western Australian pearl oyster shells

This paper describes several methods to estimate the amount of sponge erosion in pearl oyster shells (Pinctada maxima Jameson, 1901). Internal erosion can be calculated from non‐destructive surface area estimates because a clear relationship was found between the eroded area on the surface of the shells and internal erosions. Grading shells into three different categories, according to the severity of erosion, also proved to be a suitable method to quickly assess the amount of sponge erosions. All methods were more accurate in shells with larger amounts of erosions. Using the described methods, the Lacepedes fishing ground was more diverse in bioeroding sponge species compared with sites at the 80‐Mile fishing ground locations. Pione velans Hentschel, 1909 was the dominant bioeroding sponge species but Cliona dissimilis Ridley and Dendy, 1886 eroded more shell material than P. velans. Observed patterns suggest that P. velans had a more recent recruitment than C. dissimilis. We suggest that visual grading together with estimates from the shell surface will be sufficient to determine the general long‐term trends in bioeroding sponge severity. However, results of monitoring programmes need to be supplemented by histological examination to confirm sponge activity and species identity.     

Larval settlement of the silver- or goldlip pearl oyster Pinctada maxima (Jameson) in response to natural biofilms and chemical cues

This paper presents the first laboratory study investigating larval settlement and metamorphosis of Pinctada maxima in response to both natural and artificial inducers. Natural biofilms induced larval settlement and the inductive effect appears to be closely associated with the bacteria in the biofilm. This result indicates that, in nature, bacteria may play an important role in the settlement of P. maxima larvae. Various pharmacological agents were also tested in this study and the results were generally similar to those found with other marine invertebrates, particularly molluscs. The results show that some pharmacological agents are potent artificial inducers of larval settlement for P. maxima. The findings of this study provide valuable information for understanding the mechanism of the larval settlement of this species, which is useful information for the hatchery industry of this pearl oyster.     

Contribution of donor and host oysters to the cultured pearl colour in Pinctada martensii

Cultured free round pearls are produced by implanting a spherical nucleus with a small piece of nacre‐secreting mantle graft from a donor oyster into the gonad of a recipient oyster (host). To examine the possible contribution of host and donor oysters to the colouration of the harvested pearls, the CSE‐1 Imaging and Color‐Measuring System were used to quantitatively measure the L*a*b* values of donor and host shells and the produced pearls in Pinctada martensii. Results showed that the colour of pearls had significant positive correlation (r = 0.1–0.22, P = 0.00) with that of donors, but had no correlation with that of host oysters, thus convincingly confirmed the contribution of nacre colour of donor to the realization of pearl quality of colour. To further clarify the relationship between the donor and the pearl colour, the donors from pearls of good and poor colour quality were further compared and the results demonstrated the significant difference in L* values (P < 0.05) and insignificant difference in a* and b* values, suggesting the necessity of selecting donors with bright and lustrous nacre in pearl production.     

Common pearl oysters in China, Japan, and Australia are conspecific: evidence from ITS sequences and AFLP

ABSTRACT:   To elucidate the species status of Pinctada fucata in China, P. fucata martensii in Japan and P. imbricata in Australia, one population of each taxon was studied using internal transcribed spacer 1 and 2 (ITS1, and ITS2) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. ITS1 and ITS2 were 401–405 and 229–237 bp long, respectively. Twenty-nine ITS1 and 15 ITS2 unique genotypes were obtained from 44 and 34 individuals, respectively, with some genotypes shared by two or three populations. In AFLP analysis, each individual exhibited a distinct phenotype. No population had diagnostic markers. Mean genetic divergences within and among the three populations were very low and overlapped (between-population: 0.7–0.9% for ITS1, 0.9–1.3% for ITS2, and 53.3–55.6% for AFLP; within-population: 0.5–0.9% for ITS1, 0.8–1.2% for ITS2, and 50.4–53.6% for AFLP). Low levels of genetic differentiation were observed among the three populations while the Australian population is partially genetically isolated. Under an infinite allele model, genetic differentiation among populations was not significant based on a permutation test. Under an infinite site model, most F _ST values were not significant for ITS data although they were significant for AFLP data. Network analysis using ITS data indicated that individuals from the same population did not cluster together. Analysis of molecular variance ( amova ) demonstrated that > 94% variation was contributed by within-population variation. These findings suggest that the three taxa are conspecific and Pinctada fucata is the correct name.     

The consequences of differential family survival rates and equalizing maternal contributions on the effective population size (Ne) of cultured silver‐lipped pearl oysters,Pinctada maxima

The effective population size (N_e) is a critical gauge of how efficiently an aquaculture operation is capturing or maintaining genetic diversity and can govern the long‐term success of genetic selection programmes. In communally reared pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima), high variance in family sizes is a significant contributor towards low N_e and its severity may be compounded by differential survival rates of individual families. To determine the effect of variable survival on N_e in cultured P. maxima, families from two commercial populations were analysed using DNA parentage analyses to monitor survival and changes in relative contributions. Significant shifts in relative contributions were observed between 72 days and 18 months of age in both commercial cohorts (P<0.001). Survival rates were found to be highly variable among families (ranging from 2.5% to 49.5%) when reared in a common environment. Additionally, we investigated whether equalizing maternal family sizes before communal rearing will reduce family size variance, and increase N_e, compared with stocking at naturally produced proportions. Family equalization (E) significantly improved N_e (P=0.013) compared with rearing at natural (N) proportions (E: N_e=7.18±0.34; N: N_e=5.60±0.15); however, this practice may unintentionally magnify negative influences of poor performing families if survival is correlated with other commercially important traits. It is concluded that highly variable family survival will affect N_e in communally reared P. maxima, and the practice of equalizing family sizes in order to maximize N_e may only become consistently beneficial once further progress is made towards understanding, and then reducing variation in family survival rates.     

微胶囊饲料对马氏珠母贝育珠性能、生长基因和矿化基因表达的影响

本研究分析了自主研发的微胶囊饲料替代微藻对马氏珠母贝(Pinctada fucata martensii)育珠性能、生长相关基因和矿化相关基因表达的影响。共设置了3个实验组,其中,EG1组投喂亚心形扁藻(Platymonas subcordiformis),EG2组投喂微胶囊饲料+亚心形扁藻,EG3组投喂微胶囊饲料。养殖170 d后,比较马氏珠母贝的育珠性能、闭壳肌生长相关基因EGFR、FGF18、GHITM和TβRI以及外套膜的中央膜和边缘膜矿化相关基因pearlin、DPT、pif177和N19的表达。结果表明:(1)各组间马氏珠母贝育珠贝的存活率、留核率不存在显著性差异(P0.05),所采收珍珠的珍珠层厚度及平均质量也不存在显著性差异(P0.05);(2)各实验组间马氏珠母贝闭壳肌中EGFR、FGF18、GHITM和TβR I的相对表达量不存在显著性差异(P0.05);(3)各实验组间马氏珠母贝中央膜中DPT和N19的相对表达量差异不显著(P0.05),EG2和EG3组pearlin的表达量显著性高于EG1组(P0.05),pif177在EG3组中的表达量显著性高于EG1和EG2组(P0.05);(4)各实验组间马氏珠母贝边缘膜中pearlin、DPT和N19的相对表达量差异不显著(P0.05),EG2和EG3组pif177的表达量显著高于EG1组(P0.05)。研究结果说明,该微胶囊饲料可以替代部分微藻进行育珠生产,为进一步研发马氏珠母贝的人工配合饲料及开展工厂化育珠积累了参考资料。     

Donor effect on cultured pearl nacre development and shell matrix gene expression in Pinctada margaritifera reared in different field sites

Understanding the respective roles played by donor and recipient pearl oysters in pearl quality determination in relation to the environment is a challenge for the pearl industry. In most Pinctada species, pearl size is mainly related to recipient oyster growth performance but also relies to some extent on the biomineralisation activity of the pearl sac, a tissue that originates from the donor oyster mantle. We examined donor effect on pearl size in response to culture in the lagoons on Arutua and Apataki atolls. Overall, nacre weight and thickness were greater in Arutua than in Apataki, but sensitivity to the environment differed between donors. Some donors were associated with significantly heavier and thicker nacre in Arutua (I group), while others had similar results at the two sites (NI group). On average, up to 20% of the pearl size could be attributed to the donor but, in group I, donor effect was responsible for up to 36% of nacre weight determination. Additionally, a real‐time PCR expression study of eight matrix protein genes related to biomineralisation in the pearl sac showed that MSI60, pearlin and pif177 were significantly and positively correlated with nacre weight and thickness, with the latter two genes explaining the larger pearl size observed in Arutua. Donor oysters in P. margaritifera therefore play a key role in pearl size improvement, related to the role of the shell matrix protein genes. Understanding such contributions could help in the design of genetic selection plans for specific and adapted donor oyster lines.     

Isolation and use of beneficial microbiota from the digestive tract of lions‐paw scallop Nodipecten subnodosus and winged pearl oyster Pteria sterna in oyster aquaculture

We isolated microbiota from the digestive tract of Nodipecten subnodosus and Pteria sterna and determined in vitro their haemolytic activity, antagonism against Vibrio spp., bacterial hydrophobicity, production of extracellular enzymes and molecular identification. Five bacterial strains were selected: RL5 and C3 (Lactobacillus spp.) and PB1‐1, PB1‐5 and PB1‐6 (Bacillus spp.). The RL5 and C3 isolates showed antimicrobial activity against Vibrio spp. and the PB1‐1, PB1‐5 and PB1‐6 isolates showed enzymatic activity for amylase, protease, lipase and cellulose; the C3 and PB1‐5 isolates were highly hydrophobic. The selected strains of bacteria were tested in vivo as probiotics, together with a treatment of ampicillin and a control without bacteria on juvenile Kumamoto oysters Crassostrea sikamea. The strains were provided individually and as mixes of isolates. Survival, growth and biochemical composition of the juveniles were determined as in vivo indicators. Juveniles grew significantly larger and faster when treated with a specific mix of isolates (MIX‐B), compared with the control. The protein, lipid and carbohydrate concentrations were also significantly higher in oysters exposed to probiotic treatments, compared with the control and the antibiotic treatment. The selected microbiota showed probiotic proprieties for cultivating C. sikamea juveniles.     

Expression profiles of nine biomineralization genes and their relationship with pearl nacre thickness in the pearl oyster,Pinctada fucata martensii Dunker

Pinctada fucata martensii is an ideal animal for study of biomineralization. Although dozens of genes have been identified, the molecular mechanism of biomineralization remains still unclear. The purpose here was to discover the expression profiles of nine biomineralization genes in related tissues: mantle edge (ME), mantle centre (MC) and pearl sac (PS), and to explore the relationships between expression level and nacre thickness. The expression levels of seven genes (ACCBP, aspein, CaM, EFCBP, KRMP, nacrein and prismalin‐14) showed no significant difference between ME and MC, but were significantly higher than those in PS. The expression level of N19 was the same in ME and PS, significantly higher than that in MC. However, msi60 in ME, MC and PS showed no significant differences in expression level. In addition, the correlations of expression levels between ME, MC and PS were highly significant, indicating that there are some similar function and mechanism among the three tissues. Also the nine genes had significant correlation of expression levels between one another. Furthermore, no other genes from oysters which produced pearls of different grades showed significant difference in the expression level, except CaM in MC, which had significantly higher expression level in the medium pearl grade than in the plain nucleus grade. Moreover, the expression level of msi60 in MC of host oyster was significantly correlated with produced pearl layer thickness, suggesting that msi60 might play an important role in pearl formation and host oyster may also participate in the development of pearl.     

Effects of replacing microalgae with an artificial diet on pearl production traits and mineralization‐related gene expression in pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensii

The effects of replacing dietary microalgae with artificial diet on pearl production traits and biomineralization‐related gene expression were investigated in pearl oyster (Pinctada fucata martensii). Three experiment groups (EG1, EG2 and EG3) were set. EG1 and EG3 were separately fed Platymonas subcordiformis and artificial diet (D4), respectively, and EG2 was fed with mixed P. subcordiformis and D4. A control group (CG) was cultured in natural sea. All groups were continuously fed for 150 days. The results showed that the survival rates of EG1, EG2 and EG3 were significantly higher than that of CG. No significant differences in retention rate and pearl thickness were observed among the four groups, but CG had the lowest values of both parameters. The relative expression levels of EGFR and FGF18 mRNA did not significantly differ among EG1, EG2 and EG3. Moreover, the relative expression levels of GHITM and TβR I mRNA significantly varied among the groups and EG3, and EG1 had the highest and lowest relative expression levels of GHITM and TβR I mRNA respectively. The relative expression levels of nacrein and chitin‐binding mRNA significantly differed among the groups, and EG1 had the lowest expression levels of nacrein and chitin‐binding mRNA. No significant differences in the relative expression levels of MSI60 and TIMP mRNA were observed among the groups. The results suggested that D4 can replace part of microalgae, which is helpful for further studies on developing artificial diet of pearl oyster.     

Growth of wild pearl oysters <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinctada fucata,Pinctada margaritifera</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinctada sugillata</Emphasis> (Bivalvia: Pteriidae) in Taiwan

In order to understand growth features of pearl oysters in the genus Pinctada, i.e. Pinctada fucata, Pinctada margaritifera, and Pinctada sugillata in Taiwan, a total of 3062 wild individuals of these species from juvenile to adult were collected monthyly from March 2001 to April 2002 in Jukeng, Pingtung County, south-west Taiwan. Quantitative measurements of live oysters were conducted for shell height (SH), shell length (SL), shell width (SW), hinge length (HL), and wet weight (WW). Different cohorts were identified through multiple length frequency analysis on SH of P. fucata and P. margaritifera, and growth curves with seasonal variation were estimated for these species. Pinctada fucata in Taiwan had a different seasonal growth pattern from the Japanese population, but had similar growth rates during the high growth period. The growth rate of P. margaritifera in Taiwan was slower than in French Polynesia, the Solomon Islands, and the Red Sea. Comparisons of morphological growth features among the three species show large differences in the SW-related features. Pinctada fucata in Taiwan had larger SW than in Japan and Korea. The differences in growth rates and morphological features suggested that the wild Taiwanese oysters may retain genetically pristine characteristics, thus genetic conservation might be urgently needed.     

Macro‐geographical differences influenced by family‐based expression on cultured pearl grade,shape and colour in the black‐lip ‘pearl oyster’ Pinctada margaritifera: a preliminary bi‐local case study in French Polynesia

In French Polynesia, the aquaculture of Pinctada margaritifera is carried out in numerous grow‐out sites, located over three archipelagos (Gambier, Society and Tuamotu). To evaluate the impact of macro‐geographical effects of these growing sites on pearl quality traits, five hatcheries produced families were used as homogeneous donor oysters in an experimental graft. The molluscs were then reared in two commercial locations: Tahaa Island (Society) and Rangiroa atoll (Tuamotu). At harvest, eight pearl quality traits were recorded and compared: surface defects, lustre, grade, circles, shape categories, darkness level, body and secondary colour and visual colour categories. Overall inter‐site comparison revealed that: (1) all traits were affected by grow‐out location except for lustre and round shape, and (2) a higher mean rate of valuable pearls was produced in Rangiroa. Indeed, for pearl grade, Rangiroa showed twice as many A‐B and less reject samples than Tahaa. This was related to the number of surface defects (grade component): in Rangiroa, twice as many pearls had no defects and less pearls had up to 10 defects. Concerning pearl shape, more circled and baroque pearls were found in Tahaa (+10%). For colour variation, 10% more pearls have an attractive green overtone in Rangiroa than in Tahaa, where more grey body colour were harvested. Lustre does not seem to be affected by these two culture site (except at a family scale). This is the first time P. margaritifera donor family have been shown to vary in the quality of pearls they produce depending on their grow‐out location.     

Biology and invasive potential of the introduced swordtail Xiphophorus hellerii Heckel (Poeciliidae) in Western Australia

• 1. The swordtail Xiphophorus hellerii is a popular ornamental freshwater fish that occurs as an introduced species in the aquatic habitats of at least 31 countries. Although introduced populations are found in other Australian states, the only known Western Australian population occurs in the Irwin River (29°15′S).
• 2. The biology of X. hellerii in the Irwin River in south‐western Australia is described from four seasonal samples, collected by seine net, between spring 2002 and winter 2003.
• 3. Pregnant females were collected in all seasonal samples, though juveniles were absent in spring, implying that juvenile mortality during late winter is high. Although mean length of pregnant females (38.7 mm) and mean gonadosomatic index (GSI) (14.7) were similar to reported data for X. hellerii populations in Queensland, mean fecundity was markedly lower in Western Australia, i.e. 34.1, cf. 60.15.
• 4. Logistic analysis of the percentage of female and male X. hellerii with developing and mature gonads predicted that the length at which 50% of the sexes mature was 30.8 and 31.5 mm SL, respectively. The sex ratios of females to males did not differ statistically from a ratio of 2:1.
• 5. The diet of all X. hellerii size classes was omnivorous (primarily vegetal matter/algae), although a significant difference was observed between the diet of juveniles and that of the two larger size classes (i.e. juveniles consumed greater quantities of aquatic invertebrates).
• 6. A melanic polymorphism (i.e. pigmented caudal peduncle and fin) was observed in approximately 5% of X. hellerii collected.
• 7. If released, the range of X. hellerii is likely to expand in anthropogenically modified habitats in tropical and temperate latitudes of Western Australia. Potential ecological impacts on indigenous fishes may be magnified owing to the depauperate nature of the endemic ichthyofauna including a lack of predators. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

     

盐度胁迫对不同发育时期菲律宾蛤仔生长和存活的影响

盐度是影响海洋贝类存活、生长、发育、繁殖等生命活动的关键因素,其生命活动时刻受到海洋局部环境中盐度变化的影响。对海洋贝类适应盐度胁迫机制的研究是学术界长期关注的问题。大量研究表明,盐度胁迫会对海洋贝类的生长、渗透调节、能量代谢和免疫反应等生物学过程产生影响。近年来,随着基因组、转录组等组学技术的发展和广泛应用,许多研究从分子水平来探讨海洋贝类适应盐度胁迫的机制。本文综述了海洋贝类在盐度胁迫过程中的调控机制,包括渗透调节、能量代谢、免疫反应,以及转录组和基因组在海洋贝类盐度胁迫机制研究中的应用,提出了广盐性海洋贝类在盐碱水领域中的开发潜力,为海洋贝类抗逆品种选育以及绿色养殖提供重要参考。

     

Realized heritability and response to selection for shell height in the pearl oyster Pinctada fucata (Gould)

The common pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata (Gould), is the most important species that is cultured for production of marine pearls in China. Heavy mortality and the decline of pearl quality have resulted in a breeding programme being established in recent years. In this study, we conducted selective breeding for the second generation of pearl oyster P. fucata (JCS-2) by mass selection for shell height (SH) with a selection intensity of 1.614, and analysed the growth of the selected line (JCS-2) and the non-selected control line (JCC) during a 1-year grow-out period. The results show that the selected line grew faster than the control one in the SH and total weight (TW) ( P <0.05), and there were higher proportion of larger sized oysters. Coefficient of variation for SH of JCS-2 was smaller than that of JCC. The current genetic gains and realized heritability for JCS-2 averaged 16.03 ± 4.79% and 0.713 ± 0.208 at 3–15 months of age respectively. The findings indicated the selection response to faster growth for SH is markedly effective in the second generation, and there was a high correlated response of TW when selecting for SH.     

Glucose transporters in pearl gentian grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀ × E. lanceolatus ♂): Molecular cloning,characterization, tissue distribution and their expressions in response to dietary carbohydrate level

The glucose transporters (GLUTs) play vital role in mediating the glucose uptake process, the movement of glucose across plasma membranes. In this study, three GLUTs, GLUT1, GLUT2 and GLUT4 were cloned and characterized form pearl gentian grouper, a hybrid grouper, and their expressions in response to dietary carbohydrate level (8.02%, 11.89% and 16.08%) were investigated after feeding. The full‐length cDNA of GLUT1, GLUT2 and GLUT4 were 2,104, 3,759 and 2,815 bp, respectively, encoding a putative protein of 491, 508 and 505 amino acids respectively. The results of sequence and phylogenetic analysis revealed that grouper GLUTs were highly conserved and clustered together with their corresponding teleost orthologues, rather than mammals. In addition, GLUT1 was ubiquitously expressed in all detected tissues with relative high expressions in heart and brain. GLUT2 is relatively abundant in some certain tissues that release glucose, such as liver and intestine, and GLUT4 was expressed primarily in muscle and eye. The elevated dietary carbohydrate level had no significant difference on the expression of GLUT1 in grouper liver. The expression of GLUT2 in grouper liver was significantly up‐regulated with the increasing dietary carbohydrate from 8.02% to 11.89%, and therefore down‐regulated significantly. Meanwhile, the expression of GLUT4 in grouper muscle increased significantly with increasing dietary carbohydrate. Results of this study indicate that the up‐regulation of GLUTs in fish contribute to maintain glucose equilibrium to some extent when fish were fed with high carbohydrate diets.     

Pearl formation in the Japanese pearl oyster (Pinctada fucata) by CaCO3 polymorphs: Pearl quality‐specific biomineralization processes and their similarity to shell regeneration

Pearl oyster shell consists of two layers: a calcite prismatic layer (outer layer) and an aragonite nacreous layer (inner layer). Calcite and aragonite are CaCO₃ polymorphs, and their formations are controlled by shell‐forming tissue called mantle. Pearl sacs originating in the mantle form cultured pearls. Therefore, it has been widely accepted that pearl and shell are produced by the same process. However, this idea has been called into question by some recent mineralogical studies indicating microstructural and crystal‐polymorphic diversity in pearls. The pearl biomineralization process is still not fully understood in detail. Thus, in this study, we focused on the diversity of CaCO₃ polymorphism of non‐nacreous structures (NNSs) underlying the nacreous layer in pearl and regenerated shell, to reveal the biomineralization process of the Japanese pearl oyster (Pinctada fucata). Using Meigen's stain and scanning electron microscope‐energy dispersive X‐ray (SEM‐EDX), NNSs polymorphs in valuable and valueless pearls, in addition to regenerated shell, were compared. Aragonite was exclusively observed in the NNSs of valuable pearls, whereas calcite was dominant in those of valueless pearls. The same analysis of NNSs of regenerated shells was carried out. As in valueless pearls, almost all regenerated shell NNSs consisted of calcite, but one NNS was composed of aragonite. Accordingly, it seems that pearls are formed by the same biomineralization process as shell regeneration rather than shell formation.